Technology and Social Studies
Cynthia M. Okolo, Michigan State University
Ralph P. Ferretti & Charles D.
MacArthur, University of Delaware
Understanding history is an intellectually challenging task.
It asks us to contemplate people, events, and issues that
are often far removed from us in time and familiarity. Too
often, history is taught as a litany of facts, names, and
dates to be memorized, rather than as the constructive and
problem-solving process used by historians (Wineburg, 2001).
And, too often, history instruction is delivered through textbooks
that are difficult for students to read and understand, in
addition to being just plain boring (Armbruster & Anderson,
1984; Beck & McKeown, 1991; Brophy, 1990; Loewen, 1995)!
We have attempted to address the challenges and limitations
of history instruction by developing and evaluating an instructional
approach we call Strategy-Supported Project Based
Learning (SSPBL). The work we have done with SSPBL
has been situated in middle-grade inclusive classrooms in
urban schools. The rationale for our approach, a more complete
description of its features, and support for its efficacy
are reported elsewhere (Ferretti, MacArthur, & Okolo,
2001; Ferretti & Okolo, 1996; MacArthur, Ferretti, &
Okolo, in preparation; Okolo & Ferretti, 1996a; 1996b;
2000). In brief, SSPBL has the following features:
- Students’ historical inquiry is organized around
an authentic question or problem.
- Instruction about a topic is organized around big
ideas, or major themes that cut across specific
examples.
- Students engage in inquiry projects in
which they formulate and refine specific questions, locate
data sources, analyze and interpret information, and draw
and support conclusions based on their research (Blumenfeld,
et al., 1991; Ferretti & Okolo, 1996).
- Projects lead to the development of artifacts
that represent students’ proposed solutions to problems,
reflect their emerging understanding, and are presented
to peers and other audiences for feedback and critique (Ferretti
& Okolo, 1996).
- Students are taught cognitive strategies to
support the conduct of their inquiry and the construction
of historical interpretations.
- Learning is collaborative, as students
work in heterogeneous cooperative groups to conduct and
share the findings of their inquiry. Collaboration is characterized
by a high degree of constructive conversation (Morocco,
2001) in which students discuss the process and products
of inquiry with one another and in which the teacher engages
students in dialogue to assess their developing understanding
and clarify and extend their historical understanding.
- Technology, in the form of video and
computer-based tools and information resources, is used
to enhance instruction, extend students’ analytical
capabilities, and access sources of information.
In this module, we discuss technology-based tools (including
video) and activities that have been used in our research
program to support the development of students’ historical
understanding. We organize our discussion of particular tools
by describing the need for an activity appropriate to the
characteristics of the students or the content demands of
history, the way we address this need in SSPBL, and a technology-based
option for addressing the identified need(s).
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A Look at an SSPBL Unit |
| A Look at an SSPBL Unit 5th grade students
in inclusive classrooms were studying the
United States’ westward expansion in
the second half of the 19th century. They
organized their study of westward expansion
around a narrative strategy by investigating
the people, the problems they faced, the reasons
for their decisions to travel west, the challenges
they faced on the trip, and the outcomes occurring
once they arrived. Students learned about
life at this time by examining pictures, diaries,
and other authentic historical evidence, some
drawn from websites. We provided students
with questions to ask of themselves and each
other as, working in collaborative groups,
they analyzed the evidence. We also developed
lessons to teach students about the importance
of providing a true and accurate account of
a historical event, ways to evaluate bias
in evidence and to corroborate sources, and
the need to qualify conclusions when there
are contradictory accounts. Students created
a multimedia presentation about the emigrant
group they had investigated and presented
their project to peers, parents, and teachers
during a classroom Open House. Source: Ferretti,
MacArthur, & Okolo (2001) |
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